Information on Ciudad Juarez, Mexico

Name

Cd. Juarez, Chihuahua

Population

Cd. Juarez is the largest city in the state of Chihuahua with an estimated 2000 population of 1.2 million individuals. Growth is rapid, accelerated immigration into the city by thousands seeking better wages along the border and in the U.S

State Description

Chihuahua is the only Mexican state that shares a border of 582 miles with two U.S. States, Texas & New Mexico. Chihuahua is located on the north part of Mexico. Chihuahua is the largest state in Mexico. Its total area is 95,400 square miles, which represents 12.56% of Mexico’s territory. Its capital is Chihuahua City, located 236 miles south of El Paso, TX. Its principal order crossings are: Juarez – El Paso, TX. Ojinaga-Presidio, TX. San Geronimo -Santa Teresa, NM. Total population is more than 3 million. The border with Texas is 350 mile long, delineated by the Rio Bravo del Norte, (Rio Grande River). Most of the state consists of a high desert plateau with elevations ranging between 4,000 and 4,800 feet above sea level, to the west the high mountain range of the Sierra Madre Occidental is slashed by deep gorges. The state has traditionally been one of agriculture and ranching. With the explosive growth of the maquiladora industry, the State of Chihuahua has become increasingly industrial, particularly the cities of Juarez, and the state’s capital Chihuahua City.

Location

Juarez rests between two mountain ranges and the flat river-banks of the Rio Grande. The earliest Spanish settlers dubbed the region “El Paso del Norte”, or “The Pass of the North”, for its geographical characteristics. Juarez is set at an elevation of 3,800 ft., and it is the geographical midpoint of the 2,000 mile long U.S.-Mexico border. The weather in Cd. Juarez is hot and dry in the summer, and pleasant in the winter with little precipitation (8.65 inches annually). This climate is deemed ideal for many forms of electronics manufacturing.

Max

Med

Min

Coldest Month January

56.1

42.8

29.4

Hottest Month July

96.1

82.5

68.4

Regional Influence

Juarez is the largest production-sharing center in North America. Since Mexico’s introduction of its Border Industrialization Program (The Maquiladora Program) in 1964, Juarez has led Mexico in the growth of this vital industry. From its first manufacturing plant until to the approximately 300 plants it hosts today, Cd. Juarez has enabled industry to achieve industrial competitiveness in the North American and global markets. Today, approximately twenty percent of Mexico’s total production sharing output is manufactures in Cd. Juarez. The average salary of a person in Mexico is approximately $60.00 per week.